Title

Author

Date of Award

8-1972

Degree Name

Master of Arts

First Advisor

Dr. E. Wade Hitzing

Second Advisor

Dr. Jack L. Michael

Third Advisor

Dr. Herman Peine

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

There is an apparent need for sex education programs targeted to young institutionalized mental patients. A sex education course was developed that could be easily disseminate and have potential general applications and utility in institutional settings. Data were taken on the effectiveness of the course, its effects on sexual and sex-related values of the subjects, its influence on selfratings of behavior, and evaluative responses of the subjects to the course itself. A pretest-posttest experimental design was used with a control group included. The results showed that factual knowledge in sexual areas was significantly increased by the course. Experimental subjects' values changed in the directions of more permissive and tolerant but the results were not conclusive. High correlations were obtained between scores on the factual and opinion surveys for both groups of subjects on pretest and posttest administrations. Some experimental subjects' self-ratings of behavior also changed after administration of the course. The lecture portion of the course could be placed on tape, thus making the program automated and eliminating any need for "expert" personnel to teach future offerings of the course.